Appalachia Service Project Guyan Valley, NC 

  

Dates: Sun. March 4th to Sat. March 10th 

Transportation: driving 

Financial Aid: available  

Cost: $395 

Apply: tinyurl.com/asbapp18  

Website: https://www.asphome.org/   

  

 

HOUSING SECURITY AND REPAIR & RURAL POVERTY Since 1969, Appalachia Service Project has worked in communities that face high rates of poverty and unsafe, substandard housing. Now serving nearly 30 communities throughout Central Appalachia, this organization strives to make homes “warmer, safer, and drier” through repair and building projects. This trip will address issues of rural poverty, housing insecurity, and cultural divides, and participants will engage with the community through home repair projects and regional education. 

 

ABOUT PAB 

The Penn Alternative Breaks community engages in meaningful social justice work by prioritizing the voices and needs of those impacted by injustices, cultivating sustainable community partnerships, and facilitating collaborative learning. We provide students with the tools to explore their identity and how it affects their position in the communities we work with and in society as a whole. By integrating education, reflection, and direct service, we hope to foster an ongoing commitment to social change. 

 

We are committed to developing sustainable and reciprocal community partnerships.  

Asheville Greenworks Asheville, NC 

  

Dates: Sat. March 3rd to Fri. March 9th 

Transportation: driving 

Financial Aid: available 

Cost: $395 

Apply: tinyurl.com/asbapp18 

Website: http://www.ashevillegreenworks.org/ 

 

 

 

URBAN AGRICULTURE & CLEAN LIVING Asheville GreenWorks began in 1973 as an effort to clean up and beautify the city, and focused primarily on river cleanup and tree planting projects. Since that time, the organization has grown to support various action and education projects on waterway cleanup, urban forestry, recycling, waste reduction, composting, and more. This trip will combine support for ongoing projects in environmental cleanup and tree maintenance with education on issues surrounding environmental justice.

 

ABOUT PAB 

The Penn Alternative Breaks community engages in meaningful social justice work by prioritizing the voices and needs of those impacted by injustices, cultivating sustainable community partnerships, and facilitating collaborative learning. We provide students with the tools to explore their identity and how it affects their position in the communities we work with and in society as a whole. By integrating education, reflection, and direct service, we hope to foster an ongoing commitment to social change. 

 

We are committed to developing sustainable and reciprocal community partnerships.  

City Meals: Food Justice New York City, NY 

 Dates: Sat. March 3rd to Fri. March 9th 

Transportation: driving 

Financial Aid: available  

Cost: $395 

Apply: tinyurl.com/asbapp18 

Website: https://www.citymeals.org/   

 

  

FOOD INSECURITY, ABILITY &  URBAN POVERTY Millions of seniors throughout the United States face food insecurity, or lack of access to affordable, nutritious food. In New York City, approximately one in ten seniors lives in a household with insufficient food. Founded in 1981, City Meals on Wheels is an organization that delivers daily, holiday, and emergency meals for seniors, as well as providing volunteers with training on elder abuse and alzheimer’s disease. On this trip, participants will support City Meals on Wheels by delivering meals each day and will partner with other organizations in/around NYC that work in areas such as public policy and urban farming.

 

ABOUT PAB 

The Penn Alternative Breaks community engages in meaningful social justice work by prioritizing the voices and needs of those impacted by injustices, cultivating sustainable community partnerships, and facilitating collaborative learning. We provide students with the tools to explore their identity and how it affects their position in the communities we work with and in society as a whole. By integrating education, reflection, and direct service, we hope to foster an ongoing commitment to social change. 

 

We are committed to developing sustainable and reciprocal community partnerships.  

Energy and Extraction in Pennsylvania Western Pennsylvania 

  

Dates: Sat. March 3rd to Fri. March 9th 

Transportation: driving 

Financial Aid: not available as trip is 

subsidized through Penn’s Sustainability 

Office. 

Cost: $200 

Apply: tinyurl.com/asbapp18   

 

SUSTAINABLE ENERGY, FRACKING, & MINING 

Pennsylvania is an historically important coal-mining state, and the location of America’s first oil well, but the fossil fuel industry has shifted from coal and oil to natural gas due to the rise of hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking.” Throughout the week, you will be learning from and working with various organizations throughout western Pennsylvania, a region where the fracking industry has had an enormous impact on communities, the landscape, and local economies. Included in the itinerary will be tours of extraction sites and possibly meeting with industry representatives, to assist students in assessing the impact of these industries on local communities. This trip will help students understand the regional energy system and understand some of the environmental and public health impacts of natural gas extraction.

 

ABOUT PAB 

The Penn Alternative Breaks community engages in meaningful social justice work by prioritizing the voices and needs of those impacted by injustices, cultivating sustainable community partnerships, and facilitating collaborative learning. We provide students with the tools to explore their identity and how it affects their position in the communities we work with and in society as a whole. By integrating education, reflection, and direct service, we hope to foster an ongoing commitment to social change.

 

We are committed to developing sustainable and reciprocal community partnerships.  

Healthy Columbia Columbia, SC 

 Dates: Sat. March 3rd to Sat. March 9th 

Transportation: driving 

Financial Aid: available  

Cost: $395 

Apply: tinyurl.com/asbapp18 

Website: http://www.healthycolumbia.org/home   

 

COMMUNITY HEALTH, NUTRITION, FOOD INSECURITY & RURAL POVERTY

Healthy Columbia is an organization that works to improve health outcomes of the people that are medically underserved in Richland County, an area with high rates of chronic illnesses where many people lack access to primary care and 1 in 3 individuals is uninsured. The organization links people with healthy lifestyle programs, social services, and access to primary care. During the week, students will participate in community health screenings, healthy meal workshops for SNAP recipients, and projects to improve community ownership through urban gardening and trash removal. Participants will learn about the social determinants and structural barriers to health outcomes in a community setting. They will have time to explore the Columbia area through outdoor activity.  

 

ABOUT PAB 

The Penn Alternative Breaks community engages in meaningful social justice work by prioritizing the voices and needs of those impacted by injustices, cultivating sustainable community partnerships, and facilitating collaborative learning. We provide students with the tools to explore their identity and how it affects their position in the communities we work with and in society as a whole. By integrating education, reflection, and direct service, we hope to foster an ongoing commitment to social change. 

 

We are committed to developing sustainable and reciprocal community partnerships.  

Housing Assistance Hendersonville, NC 

  

Dates: Sat. March 3rd to Fri. March 9th 

Transportation: driving 

Financial Aid: available 

Cost: $395 

Apply: tinyurl.com/asbapp18 

Questions? Contact a past participants:  

Shawn Srolovitz, ssrol@seas.upenn.edu 

Eric Shan, ericshan@sas.upenn.edu   

 

AFFORDABLE HOUSING, HOUSING SECURITY, & RURAL POVERTY 

The Housing Assistance Corporation has been serving the communities of Hendersonville, North Carolina since 1988. A private, non-profit organization, Housing Assistance provides safe and affordable housing options for those of limited income. Through the Home Repair Program, you will help to build safe and healthful living spaces for elder members of the Hendersonville community, as well as learn about important housing issues affecting families in the region. The work that you will be learning about and contributing to will include home construction and repair.  

 

ABOUT PAB 

The Penn Alternative Breaks community engages in meaningful social justice work by prioritizing the voices and needs of those impacted by injustices, cultivating sustainable community partnerships, and facilitating collaborative learning. We provide students with the tools to explore their identity and how it affects their position in the communities we work with and in society as a whole. By integrating education, reflection, and direct service, we hope to foster an ongoing commitment to social change. 

 

We are committed to developing sustainable and reciprocal community partnerships.  

Workers Defense Project Austin, Texas 

  

Dates: Sat. March 3rd to Fri. March 9th 

Transportation: flying 

Financial Aid: available 

Cost: $495 

Apply: tinyurl.com/asbapp18 

Questions? Contact a past leader:  

Maddie Leonard, madleo@sas.upenn.edu   

 

WORKING CONDITIONS & IMMIGRATION RIGHTS 

Worker’s Defense Project (WDP) is membership-based, non-profit organization dedicated to empowering low-income workers to achieve fair employment. WDP is part of a national movement to improve the working and living conditions of low-wage workers, through education, direct services, and community organization. Founded in 2002, WDP has become a leader in fighting for fair working conditions in Texas. You will be supporting WDP with a mix of operational work that feeds the organization’s direct service offerings, as well as conducting evening English Learning classes for workers that have recently immigrated to the Austin community. The work you will be learning about and contributing to will include operations and data management, development of advocacy materials, teaching, and workshop facilitation. 

 

ABOUT PAB 

The Penn Alternative Breaks community engages in meaningful social justice work by prioritizing the voices and needs of those impacted by injustices, cultivating sustainable community partnerships, and facilitating collaborative learning. We provide students with the tools to explore their identity and how it affects their position in the communities we work with and in society as a whole. By integrating education, reflection, and direct service, we hope to foster an ongoing commitment to social change.

 

We are committed to developing sustainable and reciprocal community partnerships.